It's here at long last! As we reported earlier, Transformers: Earth Wars is open to play in most countries now, and we have the official press release and launch trailer for your information and entertainment to be viewed below - check out what Backflip, Hasbro, and Space Ape have been up to for a fair few time now, get pumped with the clip, and download the game here.

And while you're at it, search for "Seibertron" in the game alliances - we have both Decepticon and Autobot sides represented, the only member missing ... is you.

TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS Now Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android Devices

Players Must Align with the Autobots or Decepticons to Determine Earth’s Fate
in New Real-Time Combat Strategy Game from Hasbro, Backflip Studios and Space Ape Games

BOULDER, Colo. – June 2, 2016 – Hasbro Inc., Backflip Studios and Space Ape Games today released TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS, a new real-time combat strategy mobile game featuring the most iconic characters in the Transformers universe. Published by Backflip Studios (DragonVale, SpellFall, Paper Toss) and developed by Space Ape Games (Rival Kingdoms, Samurai Siege), TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS breaks new ground for the genre, pairing authentic Transformers storytelling with fast-paced gameplay, beautiful 3D animation and hundreds of characters with diverse strengths and abilities. The game is available now for free download on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on Google Play for Android devices.

“The Transformers franchise is one of the most iconic in the world, so it is exciting to include these characters in such a compelling mobile gaming experience,” said Julian Farrior, CEO of Backflip Studios. “We are thrilled to partner with Hasbro and Space Ape Games to launch TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS and think that Transformers fans are going to love teaming up with their favorite Autobots or Decepticons in these highly engaging mobile battles.”

Inspired by Hasbro’s “Transformers Generations Prime Wars Trilogy,” TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS players must choose to fight with Optimus Prime and the Autobots or Megatron and the Decepticons in a battle to decide the fate of planet Earth. Once allegiance has been sworn, gamers assemble a powerful team of playable characters, raid enemy bases for Energon stockpiles, and construct the Space Bridge to add reinforcements from Cybertron, all while playing in real-time against other players around the globe.

The game also features notable storytellers and voice actors from the Transformers franchise, including dialogue written by comic legend Simon Furman and voice acting from Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime, and Frank Welker, the original voice of Megatron.

"TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS offers players an engaging storyline and incredible gameplay experience,” said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President, Digital Gaming and Corporate Development at Hasbro. “The game harnesses the unique strengths and abilities of hundreds of characters from Transformers lore, which really helps it to stand above existing real-time combat strategy games and delivers on the Transformers promise of More than Meets the Eye.”

“With TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS, our team was dedicated to making a high quality, hand crafted experience that fans of both mobile games and Transformers will enjoy,” said John Earner, CEO of Space Ape Games. “We’re really excited about the finished product and can’t wait to help grow and support the community around this game.”

TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS is FREE to download andwill feature in-game purchases, and is available worldwide excluding Japan and China on Android and iOS. Please note that a WiFi connection is required to play.

About Backflip Studios
Backflip Studios develops and publishes absurdly fun mobile games for iOS and Android devices. The company's portfolio of top ranked games, which include hit franchises such as DragonVale, Paper Toss, NinJump, Spellfall, PlunderNauts, and Army of Darkness Defense, have been downloaded over 400 million times. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado. Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) has a majority ownership stake in Backflip Studios.

About Space Ape Games
Founded in 2012, Space Ape Games is a mobile games studio based in Central London made up of games veterans and key people behind the biggest gaming companies and the biggest social games on the web. Space Ape's hit strategy games Rival Kingdoms and Samurai Siege, available on iOS and Android devices, are played by more than 20 million players worldwide. Space Ape Games won the 2015 TIGA Award for Best Independent Studio and for Game of the Year for Rival Kingdoms, plus the 2014 Develop Award for Best New Studio and the 2015 Develop Award for Best Independent Studio For more information, visit http://www.spaceapegames.com.

About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences, by leveraging its beloved brands, including LITTLEST PET SHOP, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, PLAY-DOH and TRANSFORMERS, and premier partner brands. From toys and games, television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and lifestyle licensing, Hasbro fulfills the fundamental need for play and connection with children and families around the world. The Company's Hasbro Studios and its film label, ALLSPARK PICTURES, create entertainment brand-driven storytelling across mediums, including television, film, digital and more. Through the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families. Learn more at http://www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top List related to all things Transformers. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Beast Wars this year, Shajaki is counting down the Top 10 Best Beast Wars Episodes from the original computer animated series. These are one person's opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.

Top 10 Best Beast Wars Episodes

This list was seriously a labor of love. It seems the Transformers were introduced to me at the perfect stages of my life. G1 was a toy commercial, great for the first 5 years of my kiddie life. But Beast Wars with it's more developed stories and themes came out in 1996, and I was just old enough to really appreciate it. But enough of this, there's a lot of words coming at you so let's get started!

(Season 1, Episode 7)

This may have been the first example (or just the first time I noticed) how great Megatrons war strategies were in this show. The most important thing was numbers, followed by flyers. In Season 1 the Maximals were at quite a disadvantage in those regards. In this episode Megatron dispatches his two flyers to take out Optimus Primal rather than making it a straight race to the newly fallen stasis pod thus forcing the remaining Maximals to pursue on foot. Also comes Dinobot's first real test of loyalty as he's not only left alone and in charge of the base and a half-scrapped Primal, but tempted by Megatron to rejoin the Predacons with a big fat raise. To which he poetically replies "EAT SLAG!". Good 'ol Dinobot.

(Season 1, Episode 6)

Did anyone else think that Terrorsaur was basically the Beast Wars version of Starscream? I sure did, which made "Possession" a little confusing to me. But I digress. The screechy traitor finally has his day in this episode when he stumbles upon a floating mountain of Energon, which he gets accidentally super charged by. So naturally he hightails it straight to Megatron and tears him to pieces. Thankfully he does so quickly because the charge not only fades but puts him at a critical low amount of energy forcing him to crawl back to mountain for another hit. Unfortunately for him however, a flying gorilla battle and rat bomb kinda ruin his future plans. And it seems his new "followers" would rather rebuild Megatron than submit to his command. Really, this episode just feels like a terrific throwback to the what(?) every 12 minutes that Starscream tried to overthrow Megatron in the original Transformers. And you gotta love that.

(Season 2, Episodes 2 & 3)

These episodes are quite significant, as they re-set in motion what started in the series pilot. We are formally introduced to the realization (by Waspinator of all characters) that they are indeed on prehistoric earth, which has grave implications. The Fuzor's also make their debut, which is one of the most creative concepts to come from the franchise. The Maximals fight heroically to what is thought to be their deaths, until the triumphant return of (a now) Transmetal Optimus Primal. And the Spaghetti Western setting adds a bit of well deserved drama and suspense.

(Season 1, Episode 10)

Dinobot is attacked by a flower. AND. Oprimus Primal is a stone coldbad-ass. A botched attempt at turning Optimus into a wimp, turns him into a rage monster. And once he's armed to the teeth he blasts his way single handedly into the Predacon base and through each Pred as well. It's actually kind of frightening to see what Primal is capable of once he's let lose of all restraint, and he preforms some pretty gruesome acts. He impales Tarantulas to a wall after walking straight into a barrage of bullets, and Robo-Cop's Waspinator through another. This is also one of the few episodes that Optimus goes "full face-plate" and you know when that happens, look out.

(Season 2, Episode 4)

This episode has a number of notable moments, namely a laughing Inferno crushing Waspinator with a jamming station tower (kidding). Far more notable than that though, is Blackarachnia squaring off against Tarantulas. She really showcases her fierce spirit here, her willingness to destroy herself along with her cranial stowaway to regain her freedom (by way of a cracked Energon cube to sever their psychic link) is beyond brave. Another highlight is the awesome fight scene at the end. I recall being impressed with its choreography, it really felt like it was a step up.

(Season 3, Episode 7)

The new Dinobot is starting to come into his own as he stalks a misunderstanding Blackarachnia in this episode. Thinking that she's about to be forcefully re-wired back into a Maximal, she goes on the lamb only to be followed by the deadly Transmetal 2 Raptor. After a little cat-and-mouse'ing, he brilliantly leads her into a jamming zone preventing her from calling for backup.

But when they start fighting for real, it's intense. When he's swiping his massive claws as he slowly closes in, the speed in which he sprints and crashes through tree debris like it were paper, is simply terrifying. The Widow gets the upper hand, if only to demonstrate that he's near invincible like his Spark brother Rampage. But even though Dinobot doesn't fall for her side switching deception later, her and a party crashing Silverbolt manage to best him by triple dose cyber venom'ing him to the face and off a cliff into the jungle below. Invincible or not, he'll need time to recover from that.

(Season 1, Episode 21)

This was a great way to bring G1 lore into this new of of Transformers. After introducing the concept of the "spark" and spark mutations, this helps make sense of "Starscreams Ghost" from the original series. The intelligent strategies used by both sides in this episode also make for some great story telling. Screamer attacking where they least expect, the Maximals pretending to be gravely injured to regain access to their base, and the king of deception using the Maximals in an attempt to rule over both sides. Not to mention, Doug Parker does a phenomenal take on Starscream and really brings life to the icon.

(Season 3, Episodes 12-13)

If I wanted to save myself some time (and many words) I could simply sum up "Nemesis" in one word: EPIC. But for fun, here's the rest of my words. It seems like this is the end for Megatron, but ironically some leftovers from the enigmatic traitor Tarantulas will revitalize his campaign.

There were two ancient Cybertronian ships that came to Earth, the Ark and the Nemesis. The Ark is currently housing the deposed Maximals, and Megatron has just found the behemoth Decepticon warship. Meanwhile in irrelevant-town, Inferno and Quickstrike attack some humans in an attempt to steal their caves while Waspinator declares his resignation from the Predacons (and later their loyalty is rewarded by being flambeed my Megs himself). Jump back to Megatron and Dinobot trying to fire up the Nemesis, and the grudge match of the millennium is about to go down: Depth Charge & Rampage. They cross raw Energon blades until Depth Charge has the upper hand and Rampage... disturbingly submits and allows the blade to pierce his spark. Why? Perhaps all immortals wish for death. Maybe he knew his arch enemy would also die in the process. Or even that he sees life as a cruel joke, signified by his unsettling laughter in his final moments.

We may never know, but Primal mistook their explosive demise as mission accomplished. And yet, the Nemesis rose....

The newly reborn Tigerhawk sacrifices himself by taking the full force of the Nemesis while Primal regroups with the rest of the team.

All the while, the taint of Protoform X has been fading and Dinobot is becoming self aware.... as in, his former self. This ultimately leads him to defy the great dragon in his moment of triumph.

When the Ark can't move and Primal is down, it's Dinobots dissent that buys Rhinox enough time to crash the newly discovered Autobot shuttle through Megatrons control room, plastering him on the windshield. And it's that very shuttle that carries the crew (and roof'ly constrained Megatron) back to Cybertron, leaving a happy and intact Waspinator behind. That marked the end of the Beast Wars and what many feel to be the most impressive pieces of TF lore even to this day.

They give resonance to the notion that the situation is more grand than the (seemingly) simple conflict going on on prehistoric Earth, as Megatron's actions have had consequences on Cybertron that we haven't even seen. Second, Ravage.

Talk about throwbacks! Not only is he formidable, but still Decepticon to the core. Which we see when Megatron reveals the hidden message on the golden disk and turns the Jaguar to his cause. It's his predecessor, the original Megatron and Ravages former Commander instructing his descendants to find the Ark in the distant past and destroy the Autobots, thus altering history in favor of the Decepticons.

When I first saw this scene, it sent shivers down my spine. Which actually happened again when Ravage yells "DECEPTICONS FOREVER" and transforms into cassette mode.

Fortunately for the Maximals, Rattrap decides to show off his exceptional saboteur skills and single handedly takes down Tarantulas, Ravage, his ship, and in turn Rampage as well.

But the chills continue as we see the legendary Ark, ancient Autobots and Decepticons, and Optimus Prime himself as (BW) Megatron tries to wipe him out of existence. "Optimal Situation" aside, Megatron actually succeeds, and to me that gives him legendary status.

(Season 2, Episode 9)

Has a character shown this level of depth before in the franchise? Every TF fan out there has likely either seen this episode or at least heard of it, for it brings us the final fate of the much beloved character Dinobot. Some might even argue that it was felt even more than the death of Optimus Prime in Transformers The Movie, I know it was for me.

Megatron discovers that he can change the future, and decides to start by exterminating the human race at its earliest roots. In an effort to save the future and past alike, Dinobot engages the entire Predacon team with total disregard for his own well-being.... and is triumphant. He cuts Inferno in half, blasts Blackarachnia with his stolen gun, squashes Waspinator, forces a backfire on Rampage with the bugs head, and beats Quickstrike with his bare hands. This brings him to the point of no return, where he's about to go into stasis lock but over rides the command as there's still one maniacal Predacon to deal with: Megatron. A villainous speech rock/stick beat-down later, Dinobot subdues his former Leader and destroys the Golden Disk once in his possession with the last ounce of his remaining energy. Megatron furiously flees when the Maximals arrive, but it's far too late for the heroic raptor. He wanted his story to be told truely, and be judged accordingly with the good and the bad. And his former comrades solute him as his spark joins the matrix.

One of the greatest strengths of the Beast Wars series, is it's limited cast. Because of this, we were subject to some incredible character depth and development. Dinobot was no exception. He was in fact the first winner of the Fans Choice Transformers Hall of Fame in 2010. It's no wonder this single episode is held in such high regard. His complexity made him an incredibly interesting character and he was one of the driving forces for the series and the stories within. His strong sense of honor and deep contemplation of his ultimate fate are what motivates him into action. He does some things that he's not proud of, but tries to make amends by giving his own life to save many others. The acceptance of his destiny can be heard in one of his most famous (and final) lines:

Dinobot wrote:The question that has haunted my being has been answered: The future is not fixed. My choices are my own. And yet, how ironic, for I now find I have no choice at all. I am a warrior... let the battle be joined.

(Season 3, Episodes 5-6)

These episodes are dear to my heart, as it is the return (sort of) of my most favorite Transformers character: Dinobot. I can't even describe how much I loved his Transmetal 2 form, he looks like if you touched him, regardless of where, you'd be bleeding. The new look, and the fact that he mostly growls and only has two lines makes him kinda terrifying. And him tearing up Depth Charge was was bad-ass. But the reason this doesn't make the top 10 is because it left me wanting soooo much more. Which we get in "Proving Grounds"!

Courtesy of comics and entertainment site Newsarama, we have another first look at the upcoming IDW Transformers: Till All Are One series (coming in June), in an interview with writer Mairghread Scott and featuring unlettered preview pages by Sara Pitre Durocher (whatever the article might claim to the contrary). Check out some snippets, images below, and head here for the full piece!

Set on Cybertron and the political in-fighting between Starscream and Windblade to craft a new era for Transformers on Cybertron and beyond, the series has a broader scope than any Transformers series before. Picking up thematically from her last series, Transformers: Windblade, Scott and artist Alex Milne (nope --Va'al) are looking to delve deeper into the heart of being a Transformer.

Newsarama: "Till All Are One" is a very hallowed phrase in the Transformers mythos. What does it mean here for this new series?

Mairghread Scott: “Till All Are One” is a double-edged sword in our series. Our characters' main challenge right now is integration: Autobots and Decepticons, colonists and Cybertronians, various religious and political factions. These people know they need help to survive, but getting that help from former enemies is a hard pill to swallow. On the other hand, the threat of empire is always there. If Cybertron falls back under a totalitarian government and 'all' are forced to become 'one' it can be just as damaging. So everyone is working toward this single phrase, but in very different ways.

[...]

Nrama: How did this series come about? Is it something you pitched to do, or something IDW asked you to work on specifically?

Scott: We weren't sure when Windblade ended if we'd be able to do any more so we crammed as much plot in as we could. So when John Barber asked what I'd do with an ongoing, it took me a minute to figure out which of the many toys I'd grabbed I'd like to play with first. I'm glad I took the time to find it.

Till All Are One is going to explore and spotlight a variety of characters from across the spectrum of Transformers works, but in a single cohesive story. My goal isn't to hit everyone at once, but to bounce back and forth, to touch on the people that are rebuilding this world so that we're less of a classic 'team' book and more the story of a people and their struggles. Of course, some characters will always be at the heart of things, Windblade and Starscream in particular. But I've always been a character-focused writer and I want it to feel like Cybertron as a planet is changing and growing, not just a single character or a handful of them.

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.

Top 5 Best Seeker Molds

The seekers have always been the best example of Takara and Hasbro maximizing profits while keeping the bottom line down. To sell identical jet toys painted in different patterns, they simply incorporated that in the fiction, making them different characters. These would be the ideal characters to keep bringing back since you could always score several characters while not having to make new original molds for each one and no one would mind. It would instead be anticipated and wanted. This practice has given us a lot of seeker molds throughout the years, there is a new one in practically each line, especially in the past 15 years. And now we look at the best examples of seeker molds. Before we begin, just so we are all on the same page, a seeker mold is defined by ONE big important rule: two or more characters which share the exact same flight themed mold/character, kind of like a clone concept where they just wear different coloured shirts to identify them. It is not always used for Starscream and his fellow seeker acolytes but those are usually more exceptions to confirm the rule and it doesn't need to have all come out at the same time either (now that's really maximizing profits). The intention is that they have the same look. Since we are now accustomed to get a seeker mold in every line, originality and style goes a long way on this list, as you can see with the first entry...

Believe it or not, but within the Transformers Prime show (not the Aligned continuity proper, if that is even a thing), the true seeker mold shown is actually shared by Dreadwing and Skyquake. These two are brothers which share the very same jet mode in different colors, which is the actual definition of seekers. While Starscream's awesome mold was redeco'd multiple times in the toys, they never appeared on the show, making Dreadwing and Skyquake Prime's true seekers. And they don't disappoint. I totally get behind the negative points to this toy (I will now refer to this mold as a singular entity) like the heavy robot kibble underneath, the exposed hands in the back ala ROTF Starscream, and the weapon it comes with (but that's a negative with almost all the Powerizer toys). BUT style can go a looooooooong way and this guy has boatloads of it. Firstly, it is an impressive and imposing robot mode which is perfectly show accurate. The legs may be big under the jet but they fill it out and add a lot of weight and volume to the robot mode along with the broad shoulders. While the light-up weapon is forgettable, the sword is great and you can pull off some great poses showcasing the great and noble swordsman Dreadwing is. Also, the transformation is both refreshingly involved for a seeker and yet intuitive at the same time. The torso transformation is far more intricate than even the Masterpiece seeker mold and unlike every other toy on this list, it actually hides the nosecone completely in robot mode, without it becoming extra kibble, and leaving a nice tapered look to the cockpit as the chest. Also, that headsculpt is amazing and probably my favourite headsculpt ever found on a seeker.

I was not a fan of the first attempt at a Masterpiece Starscream. The aim for a perfect jet mode really sacrificed a lot and made the robot mode quite goofy (no proper heels, weird jet kibble on both sides of his face and insane kibble hanging off his hips). I also disliked the chest transformation which was overly fiddly. My toy ended up breaking and it soured me over the idea of an MP Starscream. So hearing that the new one was just a retool of the old did not make me bounce up and down for joy. However, I evetually did get a taste of this new and improved mold and it was definitely a step in the right direction. The fiddly and awkward chest transformation is still there, with the odd design choice of the cockpit tapering the opposite way than in the cartoon, but it is still a great improvement to the cartoon likeness in general. He has heels now too and no extraneous kibble aside from the nosecone forming a backpack of sorts. He retains that wonderful articulation and that amazing jet mode and in general the transformation is extremely satisfying (especially the leg area). My only issue is that your mileage with this mold will really vary depending on which version you get and for what price. I wouldn't pay 200$ for what is essentially 10 year old engineering (beautifully refurbished though). However, many people have had the chance to get some at only 10-20$ more than the Generations Leader Seeker mold, which is an amazing value when looking at it that way, especially if the chest is solid and stays in place in robot mode.

This is one of the best seeker molds of all time. The design choice to have the robot mode be so slim and sleek makes him look creepier than any version of Starscream before. I am so impressed with how they were able to pull off a robot mode as skeletal as the one depicted onscreen and yet still have him perfectly transform into a tight and smooth jet mode where no robot limb protrudes, as is often the case with jets.

The deluxe Classics seeker mold, which kept being used from 2006 up until 2015, is perfectly show accurate even when looking at the jet from below. It is a highly detailed figure with a shockingly pleasing jet mode and a simple transformation that is remeniscent of the G1 show. My only pet peeve with this mold is that it carries over the G1 problem of the nose cone becoming kibble in the back of the head. That makes the conehead seeker retools a bit less flawed.

It only makes sense that the very best seeker mold also happens to be the best Cybertronian design out there. The alt mode alone is full of homages to both the cybertronian tetra-jet of G1 (from the first episode) and Don Figueroa's design for Generation 1 Starscream in Dreamwave's The War Within. There is no point in including the Titanium seeker mold on this list (or the FOC seekers) when you have this bad boy which is better in every way when it comes to cybertronian design. It even has the best and least obtrusive cyberkey gimmick of the line which gives him energon swords which always flip out unobstructed. What I love so much about this mold, and many others in the Cybertron/Galaxy Force line, is how both the vehicle and robot mode share the same body and components and yet both modes are unique from one another. Unlike other seeker molds, like the Dreadwing mold above, the alt mode is not a robot under a jet, the jet IS the robot and vice versa (like the FOC mold done right). While the very first version of this Starscream mold obtained in the US was the oversized version, with Takara releasing the mold at its intentional voyager size, Hasbro saw the potential of the original voyager version and used it for a Thrust coloured Starscream release as well as Dirge, making it a rightful seeker mold.

Honourable mentions: The G1 seekers are fun, though the excessive parts forming feels very dated. I also really like the ROTF Dirge mold which was used for Jetblade as well, but I dont know if you would count that as a seeker mold (you decide). I didn't include any of the movie Starscream toys on this list since the only one that is amazing was Leader Starscream from HFTD and he was never made as any other seeker, unlike what was done with the other classes. And I am fine with that since Starscream was the sole seeker in the films.

Also, while they are very frustrating to transform and handle, I love the style of the Alternity seeker mold. The alternators line lost some steam in the US and when Japan came up with the follow up line featuring a 1:32 scale (rather than 1:24), Hasbro didnt pick it up. That is too bad because it had some very cool ideas, like having the seekers be cars with the car's shell forming the robot wings. Like that they keep their distinctive seeker motif while also having an alt mode that strays from tradition (which would still scale with the rest of the line). It's also interesting how Thundercracker and Skywarp were given a more traditional seeker headsculpt while Starscream's featured insect-like eyes. Oh, and they also feature die cast parts, rubber tires and style money can't buy.

While most of the details below have been covered with the reveals of the ROM the Spaceknight variant covers over the past couple of days (the stories are here, here and here), we now also have the full listings for the IDW Transformers comics coming out this July 2016! Check out all the stuff to be expected by then, including continuation of ongoings, the new Titans Return one-shot (explaining the SDCC exclusive Titan Force set, it seems), and the Sins of the Wreckers TPB.

Bullet points:
The war for Earth extends to outer space!
Ultimate victory—or final defeat? Or... both?
Setting the stage for TITANS RETURN—and beyond!
Part of IDW’s month-long variant cover program, celebrating the return of ROM!
Variant cover by Carlos Valenzuela!

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #55
James Roberts (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
The battle against the DECEPTICON JUSTICE DIVISION is finally over, and for the few AUTOBOTS left standing, all that's left are words. Four words, to be precise. Four terrible words, millions of years old, that gave the DECEPTICONS their name.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
An unexpected ending? Or the most unexpected ending?
The crew of the Lost Light has never seen higher stakes!
Setting the stage for TITANS RETURN—and beyond!
Part of IDW’s month-long variant cover program, celebrating the return of ROM!
Variant cover by Carlos Valenzuela!

Bullet points:
“The world of the Transformers is a complex and interesting place and it will only continue to become more epic as these tales expand.” –BigGlasgowComic

Transformers: Titans Return One-shot
Mairghread Scott, James Roberts, John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c)
THE LAST AUTOBOT! Once he ruled CYBERTRON with a brutal (and literal) iron fist... left for dead four million years ago, SENTINEL PRIME is back. But in a world where STARSCREAM rules CYBERTON, OPTIMUS PRIME has invaded Earth, and MEGATRON is an AUTOBOT—SENTINEL doesn’t like what he sees!
FC • 40 pages • $4.99

Bullet points:
The story continues in TRANSFORMERS #56 and MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #56 next month, and expands to TILL ALL ARE ONE this fall!
For the first time ever—Scott, Roberts, and Barber working together on one story!
Plus the powerful noir art of superstar Livio Ramondelli!
After OPTIMUS is hailed; after the LIGHT dies... the next phase of TRANSFORMERS comics starts here!

Transformers: Till All Are One #2
Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c)
PANIC ON THE STREETS OF CYBERTRON! As STARSCREAM’S secret police continue on their rampage, IRONHIDE is caught between the BADGLESS and a population looking for retribution!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
“This book and its predecessor prove that it's possible to treat the Transformers franchise with utmost seriousness, as long as there's room for occasional moments of silliness and bombast.” –IGN

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.

This is a perfect little guy which marks a start to the golden era of quality deluxe class figures from Hasbro for vehicle Transformers (which lead into Classics, Cybertron and Animated). This is an inventive design combining the beast like elements of a shark and a submarine vehicle, making it beautifully Cybertronian. The Transformation is simple but effective, making both the robot and vehicle mode quite distinct, with different shapes and details. The articulation is as good as today's toys but the plastic is better and the pop out firing missiles in vehicle mode is a nice touch on this awesome figure which rocks one of the sweetest decos I have ever seen on a Transformers toy.

Every one of this toy's three modes is fun. It is hard not to like a speed boat with gattling guns. The green clear plastic cockpit (and robot-mode visor) is a nice touch which adds to the water theme and the light blue combiner ports dont take that much away from this figure as it does others since they end up looking like cybertronian breathing tubes in robot mode. What seals the deal though is the combiner torso which has a steam punk diving bell helmet, going all out on the water theme. And if that wasnt enough, you get the most distinctive minicon partner in the entire line with Waterlog. His more humanoid look makes him a cross homage to both the Centurion toy series, from Kenner, as well as Microman thanks to that clear turquoise plastic he is partly made of. He also doubles as a clear turquoise chest shield, making this really resemble some Microman toys. To have all this awesomeness crammed into a scout class Transformer is quite a rare thing these days.

Who would have thought little old G1 Seaspray would one day be the hulking bad ass he became with this toy. While the alt mode pays homage to the small G1 toy, the robot mode goes for a more streamlined movie look crosed with more traditional and smooth robot designs. I especially like how smooth the alt mode is, it looks so clean with every part connecting together flush that you wouldn't expect it to turn into a robot. But it does and you wouldn't want to mess with it due to the wide upper chest and shoulders and face plated robotic scuba helmet. But just to show you he also has a fun loving side, you can flip flippers from the underside of his feet and he has a fold down ramp in vehicle mode for him to accommodate any scout class Autobot who would need a ride across the pond. In the end I just love the look of this figure and how accomplished it is as a transforming toy which has no unnecessary kibble in either mode.

There is just so much win with this toy from the headsculpt to the metal manta ray alt mode with a deco that just pops. I like how beefy he is as a toy and I really like the opposite sides of the manta ray face becoming the legs, along with the how glorious he looks with his wings in robot mode. He also has a very fun central disc launching gimmick which works in all modes. If that wasn't enough, his tail becomes a harpoon and he has a shark drone which can fire missiles. Definitely one of the most fun toys of the Beast Wars era.

An extremely efficient transformer whose body length shell serves as a great disguise to a very poseable robot. The shark mode has beautiful deco which looks as good as any plastic shark toy found in toy stores in the 90s. What is amazing is that, despite it being a shellformer, it has great alt mode integration that is very reminiscent of traditional transformers with having the head of the alt mode as the chest. A main aspect of the original toys that make up what we call G1 was the disguise component and how they could infiltrate other toylines which didn’t transform. With its phenomenal alt mode, this sharkformer is a perfect example of this legacy. The deco on this toy is as masterful as that headsculpt and he comes armed to the teeth with extra shark themed projectiles (that can be stored within his back) and his pincertail. Of course, that is aside from his hammerhead shark head which he can shoot from his body!

And of course, a water themed list wouldn't be complete without a mention of Transformers Armada Tidal Wave!!!!!!! The main reason he didn't make it is because while his name was very much "Check me out, I am water themed!", I found the toy far too Cybertronian looking that it didn't fit the water theme the creators were probably going for, aside from the aircraft carrier component. The Battleship mode looks more meant for space travel than going across the sea.

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.

As we witnessed a few weeks ago, cybertronian alt modes can be a very lazy excuse for a subpar alt mode that looks like a mishmash of robot parts. To counter that, I wanted to showcase the amazing designs that Takara and Hasbro came up with when exploring the cybertronian aesthetic and how an great cybertronian alt mode could result in an equally impressive robot mode (hence why Cybertron Override isn't on the list). After all, these are the default looks of these characters on their home planet by definition, so it's interesting to see when designers go all out to give the best representation of said character. It turns out that there were so many good designs and toys that I had to split this up between two lists, one for the best cybertronian land vehicles (which is what we will start with) and one for the best air vehicles (which will come next).

Burn said it best for this toy:
"I was never a fan of (Animated) aesthetic, but for the Cybertron forms it worked well and embraced one of the things I love about Transformers. The fact that they're an advanced alien life form. And this guy encompassed that look, sleek, and futuristic."

I just love it when a cybertronian tank doesn’t mean a robot spreading his limbs out to form a hap hazard H tank and/or sticking his head out (like so many other Megatron or Shockwave toys). Instead, here, you have a very compact weapon of war with a giant cannon and dual purpose treads that make better thrusters for some light vertical jumps when brought under the vehicle (replicating what was seen in the video game). These treads then have a fun transformation of folding onto one another to make some bad ass forearms (and connect the hand pieces). It’s a great look and a breath of fresh air for all other tank Megatrons.

When it comes to cybertronian alt modes, this guy cannot be ignored. It is a perfect combination of both strength and speed with a sleek alt mode that is also massive and powerful looking, especially with the giant cannons that spring out. The Japanese name for this toy really encompasses that cool combination of power and speed by calling him Land Bullet. That contrast really comes full circle when you realize that the sleek and long vehicle becomes a brawler type robot with huge forearms and a wide chest. I love that rockbiter-like head sculpt (where the jaw moves as his head turns). This toy also has one of the best retools ever with Dark Crumplezone (called Arm Bullet in Japan) which has every single part redone for a totally new look.

It is so fun when designers have a field day with cybertronian modes. This mold is one of those fun occasions where we can see what these alien robots actually looked like back on their planet. As you might guess, it is unlike anything you would find on Earth. I really like how removed this quadrupedal vehicle is from Ratchet’s Earth mode while still giving you an idea of why he would pick a van as an alt mode on Earth. This has more of a tortoise design which indicates a greater importance on maneuverability than speed, which works very well for a rescue mission. In the end, I just love how this is a really heartfelt attempt at designing an otherworldly ground vehicle that isn’t simply the robot mode in some funny position. What’s great is that you still end up with a robot mode that is very similar to the one found on Earth mode Ratchet. This subtly adds an extra layer to the mechanics of Transformers where the scanning mechanism results in a greater change to the alt mode than the robot mode. That’s amazing!

This guy is all about the alt mode. Sure, the robot mode is fine aside from balancing issues with his monstrous shins, but seriously, you get this guy for the alt mode. This gives us the answer to the ultimate question "What would the Batmobile look like on Cybertron?" It would look awesome, that's what! And like I said, Megatron is no slouch in robot mode either. For one, the intricate detailing makes it seem like he is wearing Unicron's armour. Look at the circuity and circular details on his shoulders, for instance, which are also found on Unicron. He also shares that spike motif along his arms. In short this is just a great beefy Transformer who's bigger size just means more detail, with a very satisfying and intuitive transformation and loads of articulation.

Also, just a heads up: the "Just us geeks" website named this as one of the top 5 Transformer toys of all time in 2012.

5. Beast Machines Tankor

This is quite the underrated toy with loads of non intrusive gimmicks (like hidden saw blades) and the very best light piping ever. Firstly, they actually went out of their way to make the toy better and more fun than the intended cartoon model by giving it two separate and different looking heads when they could have been boring and just have the tank stand up with the same head (as was done later in the Generations line, sometimes cartoon accurate means more dull). In the show though, this head is (sadly) the same and thus it scans the environment in both modes which is shown as a red dot going from side to side on his visor. Well, this toy replicates that by having a nob which turns so that a slit in the light piping moves from side to side, making it look like he is scanning. This works for both the tank head and the robot head, and better yet, they are interconnected so that both gimmicks are activated at the same time. It’s also a solid and bulky toy with a fun transformation that is more complex and satisfying than the more show accurate toy.

We often get sleeker versions of earth based cars (like Cybertron Hotshot) that don't capitalize on the potential of designing vehicles from other worlds. This one totally fits the bill though. Unlike so many other alt modes, it bravely crosses the line between being a futuristic design to a full blown cybertronian one. It is a great homage to G1 Arcee which is followed through in robot mode and I like the added massive spoilers in the back. That detail gives it enough variation from the traditional Arcee model. Too bad it has exposed hands in vehicle mode though. Props go for it having that signature Arcee backpack without going the easy route and making this a shellformer.

Animated Arcee might be great but this one tops it. This cybertronian cruiser is very sleek and definitely otherworldly. I love how compact it is and perfectly aero dynamic yet not necessarily designed for speed. It’s just a summer loving convertible from a different world. It rolls super well too and there isn’t any extraneous robot kibble. However, that is due to it being a shellformer but the shell does fold in onto itself at the midsection recreating the G1 look very well. It is great to see a deluxe come with so many accessories and different places to store them in both robot mode and vehicle mode (the vehicle mode storage where Arcee’s robot hands hold a gun into place is really clever). While this is not a masterpiece, it looks exactly like the G1 cartoon model. Especially with the softer Takara deco which looks like it is made of delicious candy. For those who don’t know, this is the only toy from this line (Thrilling 30) to be designed partly by Takara instead of simply Hasbro. Since this is the very first toy of G1 Arcee, Takara felt it would be a disservice for it to be an update to her G1 self, which is the theme of the Generations line (and all the other “classics” lines.) So they stepped in and made her design reflect her G1 self as much as they could. That dedication and passion makes this toy extra special.

I LOVE this toy. This is one of the last great stand alone deluxes we have gotten. It’s massive in size, as intricate/complex as any Transformer toy can get (regardless of size class) without being frustrating, has plenty of smart paint apps, looks really close to the game model, has great plastic with a really fun shine to it, and was sold at a deluxe price point. It also sports an awesome looking cybertronian alt mode. I find this design so smart. Optimus wouldn’t be a truck with a trailer on Cybertron but the designers found a way to still give him an alt mode that screams Optimus yet also scream Cybertron at the same time. I love how smooth the front half of this armoured vehicle is. It is very alien and original. What I am most impressed with is how the smooth surface is actually made up of a bunch of smaller segments which fasten to one another very well to give the illusion that his armour is one uninterrupted shell. It could have been so easy for Takara’s engineers to just make him a shellformer but they instead opted to find places along his limbs to integrate his alt mode’s smooth panels. I find that incredible.

This is a perfect toy, especially for a deluxe scale. Unlike the G1 and classics toy, the designers really go out of their way to give this that extra cybertronian flare, which works since the character was on Cybertron in the show. So instead of the alt mode being a futuristic Countach, it has more of an alien look with a lot of curves and undulations replacing the sharp edges. I especially like the dashboard area which looks more like a dome atop a vehicle, thanks to the clear plastic found on every side. I really hear John Hammond saying “no expenses spared” when looking at this toy, especially from the side where I see the designers went out of their way to have details on separate pieces line up to make it seem like the exhaust pipes are running all across the back portion. That is of course in addition to the excellent paint apps, use of clear plastic, double projectile weapon, as well as ball jointed wrists and feet providing maximum articulation (a far cry from most deluxes since). The transformation is also quite ingenious, especially the bit where they store the front wheels into his chest piece to make him look just like his cartoon model (which was designed before the toy). In fact, this toy was actually used as the starting point for MP Rodimus, just to give you an idea at how highly this toy is regarded by designers.

Honourable Mentions: So many cybertronian Tanks!!!!!!!

This is a top 10 so there was enough space to mention everyone that had a simultaneously great cybertronian land vehicle mode and robot mode without resorting to any transformer doing yoga and calling that a mode. The ones that get lost in the crack are those who have great robot modes but subpar alt modes where being "cybertronian" is more of an excuse for an alt mode being the secondary focus and for some reason, it's usually tanks. The two I included are to me, the best cybertronian tanks, because they do something different and original, in their transformation and their look. The rest follow a similar formula. The legs spread out to become the treads, the arm(s) becomes the cannon(s) and the head floats around somewhere, always visible. While Revenge of the Fallen Megatron is a great example of this, there are way better toys to honour here that arent as lazily designed such as Titanium Fallen, Robots in Disguise Megatronus, Prime Shockwave and Animated Shockwave. That later toy is an engineering marvel since it has two identities where each distinct robot mode has a "distinct" alt mode. While the change from one robot mode to the next is amazing (as can be seen below), the alt modes had to remain simple. So not the greatest alt mode(s), but great robot mode(s) and a great toy to own.

Same with The Fallen. He does something pretty cool where that extra kibble in the back (with painted flames to represent the fire burning in him at all times) helps make an easy transformation where most of the robot limbs are reused but to fill in the tank with the treads adding alt mode specific detail in the outside. Both the sculpt detail and stellar deco work hand in hand giving you an impression of the Fallen burning like a furnace from within himself.

As for Prime Shockwave and Robots in Disguise Megatronus, the fact that these two tanks pretty much use the exact same parts for both modes means the tanks are super sleek while there is very little extraneous kibble in robot mode. However, it does mean that there is a lack of new detail in either mode and robot parts (especially the heads) can be seen in tank mode.

The TFcon folk have sent us an update for their Chicago event, taking place this October 21-23rd - and it features the voice of the king: Gregg Berger! Check what further info the event has for the actor behind Grimlock, just below.

We are happy to welcome the voice of Generation 1 Grimlock Gregg Berger to TFcon Chicago 2016. He also voiced Skyfire (Jetfire), Long Haul and Outback in the same series. He thenreturned to the character of Grimlock for the Fall of Cybertron video game as well as Transformers: Devastation.

Gregg will be taking part in Q&A panels and autograph sessions with the attendees of the world’s largest fan-run Transformers convention all weekend long.

Transformers: Deviations' Subtle Indictment
(Or: I Swear This Isn't a Site Article)(Unless Va'al swoops in on Alpha Bravo and makes it so...)(Which just happened.)

Note: This article is an editorial, and as such, it reflects the views of the authors and the author alone. Much like our reviews, top lists and other articles, it is not indicative of Seibertron.com, the site owner, or the staff.

The Transformers: Deviations one-shot came out this week and I was extremely excited about this book. I love the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie with a passion, and any addition to its lore, imagery, and self-contained universe is something I jump at with fervor.

There's a reason this movie has withstood the test of time. It's likely most accurate to say that there are a multitude of extremely good reasons this has happened and not just one on its own. From the iconic music (whether or not you enjoy it ironically being outside the scope of things here) to the sublime voice cast to animation that put the weekly TV series to shame, this movie's lasting appeal is one of a hundred factors responsible for the brand's sustained success. Success which, it should be noted, has far surpassed a majority (though not all) of the 80s and 90s nostalgia act properties that have gone away for a time then re-emerged into current pop-culture awareness. TF:TM as I'll call it a lot from here on out was the first time the brand evolved, and it did so in the most amazing way for me.

I should really elaborate on some of those points in regards to TF:TM a bit more. First, to get it out of the way since I've already brought it up perhaps somewhat pointlessly, the music in TF:TM is a time capsule of everything 80s movie soundtracks did, for better or worse. This helps give the movie some lasting appeal. Since the ultimate point of this article is about a comic book which inherently doesn't get a musical element, that's all that will be said about that.

The voice cast for the original movie was comprised of a great mix of the talents from the Sunbow cartoon, interspersed with Hollywood stars such as Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle, Orson Welles, and even the pop-culture star John Moschitta - the "Micro Machines Guy". Some could say it's odd to bring this up when setting the frame for why a comic disappointed me, and there's some merit to that. This said, the "voice" of a comic is found through elements such as the art, coloring, scripting, and even the letters. More on this later.

Same goes for the animation of TF:TM and the merits of bringing that up as a comparison element in this writing. While a comic is by the very nature of its own medium a static entity in visual presentation, recent works have set the bar extremely high for pencil, ink, flat, and coloring work, with outliers in quality usually relating more to stylistic choice rather than, well, any perceived quality.

Hopefully this has so far established the level on which I revere 1986's Transformers movie. If it didn't, hopefully that "revere" word tells you what the last few paragraphs may not have. I really, truly consider TF:TM to be that era's magnum opus for Transformers material, as it hits almost every beat in perfect harmony with what you'd expect out of Transformers while being simultaneously fun, scary, tragic, celebratory, uplifting, depressing, piquing, and imaginative.

Given this, works that have come out over the years which have expanded on or had fun with TF:TM have been both welcome and fantastic. We've had DVD commentaries expand greatly on the production and decisions made through out it. We've had the amazing material unearthed and preserved by Paul Hitchens, whose YouTube channel is the gift that keeps on giving. Then there was the 20th Anniversary's retelling of the movie from IDW Publishing. While more or less faithful to the original work, this gave us something extremely cool: a two-page spread showing Omega Supreme, Superion, and Defensor defending The Ark from a Decepticon attack staged by Menasor and Bruticus. Retcons can be dubious, but this one was quick, effective, and satisfying.

It hasn't all been perfect either. Let's not forget the "Battle in Space" toy pack-in comic from 6 years ago, which had additional canonical material involving Tracks, Grapple, and Warpath, and while that wasn't the best in production either it's also not something anyone wanted me to spend extra money on. The set cost the same as two deluxe toys did at the time anyway, and now I can imagine that those guys had something going on during all that. Autocracy also did some fun stuff with the iconic Optimus v. Megatron battle, though that was more homage (in fact) and Flint Dille apologizing (in tone) than anything else. Even then, that was also only dedicated to a few pages of a work that was setting out to accomplish something completely different.

I could keep listing examples of works inspired in ways good and bad by TF:TM for eons, but that's not what this is for. Suffice it to say that if you need any objective measure of its impact, look no further than the amount of times Transformers fiction will trot out lines such as "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall."

This all leads us to the announcement of Transformers: Deviations. Part of a series of one-shot comics for various properties for which IDW has licensing rights, the Transformers iteration of this little side non-canon "What If?" series was going to deal with The Transformers: The Movie and the pivotal battle between eternal rivals Optimus Prime and Megatron. As anyone reading this site is surely aware, Megatron not only defeats Optimus Prime, but kills him, albeit not right there on the spot. Optimus survives on an operating table long enough to pass the Autobot Matrix of Leadership on to Ultra Magnus. All the while, Hot Rod, the Autobot that many Transformers fans "blame" for Optimus' death just because he failed at run-in interference during that fateful battle, stands by observing.

The rest, is silence. Er, the rest is history. Sorry, Beast Wars Anniversary and all that on the brain.

Deviations' premise is set to have fun with history and imagine what would have happened had Optimus Prime lived through this encounter. This is immediately where disappointment started to creep in upon publication of the book's standard preview pages released online in advance of its print publication today. The most predictable thing to do is to say "well, guess Optimus would have killed Megatron if he hadn't died himself, right?" That's ok though, predictable stories can still be entertaining and there's still a whole world of interesting paths to take beyond that with the rest of the movie's material. Still, from the outset the book pigeonholes itself into path B leading to path C, when instead path B could have lead to paths D, E, F, G, 42, Z, Primax 1023.1 Alpha - really anything at all.

If you can't tell, my biggest gripe with this book is the story. I'll come back to it to wrap things up, but let's get the production elements out of the way.

The colors, letters, and in fact most all of the art is fantastically done and lives up to the legacy of TFTM to which it will be compared. These parts of the book's "voice" are, generally, very good. The disappointment sets in with a handful of pages/panels where the pencils and inks are just not the quality one would expect from a real talent like Tramontano. The inconsistency is even more glaring when I think about how really, truly beautifully done some other parts of this comic are. If this is due to deadlines happening then I can forgive.

Let's pause to consider some of the worst offenders in inconsistent style such as:

Leaving off Astrotrain's wing upon takeoff on Page 6

Ultra Magnus' downright weird looking glare on Page 7

The entirety of pages 20 and 21

The downright goofy looking Rodimus Prime in the last two panels of the book

If these were stylistic choices, then in my opinion they were poor ones. I could find more, but again, the production of the book outside of plot/story and dialogue really aren't the big issues that led to my disappointment.

It's the story. It's the characterization. Deviations stopped being a fun "what if" and turned into the worst kind of parody, and it did so in one glaring moment: the first time Ultra Magnus speaks. This is where the voice of the comic got overridden despite many of its other elements being sound. The message behind the voice wasn't of reverence, it wasn't of disregard for one factor (big as it may be) of the original story, it was one of bitter disregard for what had otherwise followed Optimus' death in TF:TM.

If you're going to change an existing story based on one element, in this case Optimus Prime and Megatron's fates being swapped, and then choose to start things out en medias res then you better approach the setting of the rest ceteris paribus. Or at the very least, honor the little bit that came before that was not re-written. Magnus' first words to Hot Rod felt wrong. Off. They just weren't a thing this Ultra Magnus would say. Would Kup? Yes, so why didn't he?

Changing gears to paint my disappointment another way, I'll admit, I really did enjoy Megascream. I really wanted to like this book and I really tried to have fun with it. I kept trying to have fun with it when the Dinobots pre-emptively attacked the Sharkticons, or when the Decepticons combined just like Trailcutter told us they would for no reason, or when Unicron just sort of snacked on dead Decepticons such as Thundercracker and Skywarp instead of reformatting them.

Yet this is where the disappointment mounted and the book started to spiral into a bad place for me. For every Megascream there was cringeworthy dialogue meant to evoke TF:TM that instead bastardized the original intent of the words. For every Dinobot attack there was the underlying pointlessness of their presence on Quintessa and a potentially super fascinating storyline with Kranix of Lithone (which couldn't even get spelled correctly - and it was done twice so tell the wiki folks to put that one under "errors") that was dropped like a hot potato. For every Decepticon combiner there was confusing scene building accompanied with overly busy layouts. What Moon Base got eaten? One? I think? For every Unicron snack, there was the realization that this "What if" was not a well-informed, "pick up the ball and run with it" dream engagement for the author, it was an indictment on the movie I love so dearly.

"Indictment" is a rather strong word, and maybe it isn't the right one since I don't think there was any ill intent, but that's really how it came across to me emotionally. Clever dialogue turned shallow. Alien worlds humming with the otherworldly imaginings of Floro Dery instead used as mere set pieces for your Action To Come After These Messages. Fascinating, fun new characters like Springer and Arcee thrown into the Planet Junkion in a flaming, doomed Autobot shuttle, barely to be mourned. At least they got to show up at all, and at least then without having their characters assassinated.

That's the other part where I felt like this book was an indictment of its forebear: the complete and gratuitous character assassination of Hot Rod.

If you didn't like Hot Rod as a kid, I understand. If you don't like him now, I understand. Hell, my wife doesn't like Hot Rod. "Hot Rod's a punk bitch" is probably what she'd tell you, or something to that effect. All the same, the best versions of Hot Rod through the years all make you "love him or hate him" but they keep one factor pretty consistent: he's competent and brave. While Deviations hits the brave factor, it does so while putting Hot Rod into the part of The Fool. The Hot Rod one should expect here is the one that yes, indeed, shot at the attacked shuttle carrying the Decepticons into Autobot City, but that Hot Rod knew what he was shooting at. That Hot Rod had a plan when trying to help Optimus while he fought Megatron, even if it backfired. That Hot Rod had a semblance of leadership skills, and could bank a shuttle into a safe crash onto Quintessa then regroup and find his friends, "And then save Cybertron!"

This Hot Rod insults fallen comrades, makes shuttle damage worse to the point where the thing explodes, has to be told to get Daniel to safety, then runs in and saves the day at the last minute by a stroke of luck and not of guts and will like the Hot Rod that defeats Galvatron within Unicron's innards. Then he dies so he can personally redeem his earlier failure, because he's so incompetent this time that he can't escape? What even happened there?

At the end of my reading of the book, I felt the tinge that every geek like me into any Sci-Fi property does from time to time of what's colloquially known as "nerd rage". I had to take a few hours to calm down from this to collect my thoughts on what exactly I didn't like, because I could certainly "nerd rage" for hours and not do anyone any good in the process.

But after some days of processing it and then re-reading my paper copy today, I was able to distill my disappointment and find its source. The author of this book was well intended, and was clearly just trying to have fun, but ultimately penned an indictment on one of the Transformers franchise's most important works. If you're going to just have fun, go hire Tom Scioli to do the art and go absolutely crazy, then I can follow the intention. The accompanying poor dialogue choices, inconsistent art, and sometimes positively confusing scene building makes this a book I won't look back fondly on, rebuy three times, and pine for years for more like Last Stand of the Wreckers, it makes it something I'll file away and never read again like Continuum.

There's a certain subset of Transformers fans that will love this book. Some of them are on this site, hell even in this very thread. Enjoy it. This is your G1, the version that basically doesn't exist after early 1986. This book is for you and this post is my last word on it, because no one likes a hater.

But for me? I enjoy the rich history of all soon-to-be 32 years of The Transformers. Ups and downs alike, I can find something to enjoy. I found some things to enjoy in this book that I never want to read again! While I can appreciate the idea of Deviations, the execution of the book left me so bitterly disappointed that it led to a realization. That is this: the creative team behind The Transformers: The Movie all those years ago realized that the brand had to evolve or die. Optimus dying wasn't a choice, it was a necessity. Since it's NCAA Tournament season, we'll say the franchise had to "Survive and Advance". IDW has helped some of our favorite Generation One characters survive, by advancing and evolving the narrative scope and quality of their ongoing books. Deviations is an indictment on this progress as well, and looking on social media, the loud corner that wants "G1 back", despite it being here all along, often twice a month for the past decade, wants you to go buy this book in triplicate so you can vote with your dollars.

Do that if you want, but also realize the subtle indictment it implies.

Fellow Seibertronians, TFW2005 member BattleUpSaber has reported finding the RID Platinum set in Singapore, where the set is priced at 129.90. The set, first seen at NY Toyfair this year, is of particular note, as it utilizes the Takara Tomy voyager class Grimlock - an extensive retool of Fall of Cybertron Grimlock. The picture has been mirrored, and can be seen below. And, as always, let us know what you think of this in the comments below.

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